At its core every anime is a popularity contest. And sometimes some great characters get thrown to the side-lines by the fans, or in certain cases even by the creators. Sure, we all love our Levis and Sasukes. But there are other great characters right in front of us! This list is definitely not me compensating for high school, either. But we’ll be taking a look at all those well-written & interesting characters that just really deserve a bit more TLC.
15. Jin
Anime: Samurai Champloo Even though Jin is quite literally part of the main cast, everyone always seems to overlook him. Whenever the topic of Samurai Champloo gets brought up, everyone thinks of Mugen and his hip hop battle tactics. And yes, it’s true that seeing a wild and unchained fighter break down while also breaking your skill is cool, so is a properly trained samurai veteran. Jin is like a legend in his own world. No one can even come close to his skill with the blade. Coolness aside, he’s also pretty hilarious when he actually decides to speak up.
14. Ram
Anime: Re: Zero The waifu wars have been raging forever in the Re: Zero fandom. The Emilia fans have already settled in their trenches, while the Rem fans slowly chuck grenades their way. However, Ram is just as waifu as them! How a tsundere character has not been picked up by the anime community, I’m not sure. But I never hear her name when people talk about this show. And that’s especially tragic since the second season actually fleshed out her character quite a bit! I love me a wild card.
13. Suzuha Amane
Anime: Steins;Gate If this character was in any other show, and I truly do mean any other show, she would be the most beloved by far. But since Okabe and Kurisu are just so darn likable, Suzuha doesn’t get nearly the amount of attention she deserves. Reason one to love Suzuha, total babe. Reason two, complete badass who gets things done. Reason three, the biggest aww moments in the latter part of the first season. She has all the qualities of a triple S character and it’s about time someone said it!
12. Nyanta
Anime: Log Horizon I really thought I was going to dislike Nyanta. A man can only take so much nya-talk before he gets sick of it. And I thought that Nyanta would push me over the edge. But how wrong I was! This is one of the most likable characters I have ever seen. He has the manners of a true gentleman, a heart of pure gold, some wise pieces of advice, and the most dashing suit. He was just written in a way where it was always obvious how much he cared for everyone, even when he doesn’t explicitly state it. So get off the “evil glasses” train and get on the “nya” train!
11. Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki
Anime: Fairy Tail I’ll be honest: I just find this dude to be the most hilarious dude ever. Gag characters are usually on a very thin line for me. But something about Ichiya’s goofiness just did it for me. I can’t tell whether it’s because of how he looks, how well the voice-actor performed the line, the fact that he uses parfum magic, or the combination of the three, but I love him. And yet I hardly ever hear people talking about him or praising his extraordinary fragrance cred! I’m even willing to bet that most of you wouldn’t have even known who I was talking about if there wasn’t a picture present.
10. Nadeko Sengoku
Anime: Monogatari I know that during a certain arc this character was supposed to be hated – but that doesn’t mean we can’t love and respect her overall writing. Nadeko is just kind of realistic. She’s young, she’s dumb, and she’s easily fooled. And the show played on those aspects perfectly, both in the leadup and the resolution of her character arc. But everyone always just focuses on that one arc where she might have wanted to kill some people. I’m also kind of guilty of that, but I have decided to change and spread the good word of Nadeko!
9. Knuckle Bine
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011) I can’t even explain how much I love this guy’s design. Not only does he look like a JoJo reject, but he also has arguably the most interesting nen ability in the entire show. While Gon, as the face of the show, just punches you really hard – Knuckle is out here teaching you about bank loans and kicking your ass at the same time! And even though he didn’t get as much screen time as I would have liked, he still got more than enough progression throughout the series to deserve some major love and major respect.
8. Joujirou Takajou
Anime: Charlotte Maybe it’s because class president, glasses-wearing characters are so common these days… but I feel like everyone forgot about this dude. But Joujirou is just an even more hilarious “Iida” from My Hero Academia. So I see no reason not to love him just as much! His power is comedy gold. And every time he bursts onto the scene, literally, you know you’re in for a good time. Sure, focusing on the Yuu x Nao relationship or the overpowering cuteness of Ayumi is essential for the show. But save some love for my boy Joujirou as well.
7. Lucy Maud Montgomery
Anime: Bungo Stray Dogs An underrated author and an equally underrated character. She just made for an excellent evil-ish character as she posed such a big threat initially, but never gave off those “I’m evil for the sake of being evil” vibes. And wouldn’t you know it? Her character arc explores that concept quite nicely! Plus, her power is just so unique that you would really think more people had their eyes glued to her. It’s a haunted play house pocket dimension, for god’s sake!
6. Magna Swing
Anime: Black Clover This is a weird one, as I feel like Magna is extremely loved, but only when he’s combined with Luck. The second you take away zappy boy from him, no one seems to care about our good hearted hooligan while tons of fans are still flocking to Luck! And I just don’t see why that has to be the case. Magna has a really interesting fighting style, a great personality, the coolest motorcycle broom in the world, some nice shades, he has it all! And if I’m being honest, he hits the “underdog” thematic a lot more frequently and a lot harder than Asta.
5. Yuu Takeyama
Anime: My Hero Academia This is another one where I was admittedly part of the problem at the beginning. Mount Lady is one of the first characters we see in the series, and she’s portrayed as just some superficial, attention-grabbing chick. However, as the series goes on, I think it becomes apparent that she’s a true hero at heart. In fact, if you’re caught up with the manga, you’ll know that she’s far more devoted to heroism than a majority of other characters. Therefore, don’t judge a hero by their debut.
4. Josuke Higashikata
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Maybe this is just me, but I feel like everyone forgot about this guy. When JoJo fans gather, it’s always to discuss the greatness of Dio, the coolness of Jotarou, the “wtf” lovability of Joseph… but Josuke is hardly ever mentioned. I get that all the other titular JoJo characters are like triple S-class when it comes to popularity. But Josuke still deserves some props. He honestly felt the most human to me, as he didn’t have those god-like qualities that all of the other JoJos possessed. He’s just some dude with cool hair trying to stop a mass murdering terrorist. And isn’t that all of us on the inside?
3. Sasori
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden A character’s legacy means a lot. And Sasori just got bodied by the writers. Even though he’s extremely popular, nobody takes this guy seriously after the way he was defeated. Do you know how many memes I see about him on a daily basis? Too many! And I hate seeing it, as Sasori was one of, if not the best, when it came to design in the Akatsuki. His true form is straight fire, his fighting style could have made for some amazing fight scenes, and even his backstory is way more interesting than some of his colleagues. Just make a spin-off or something and give Sasori the love and attention he deserves.
2. Jean Kirstein
Anime: Attack on Titan This show is pretty stacked when it comes to incredibly well-written and likable characters. From Levi and Mikasa, to Erwin and Eren, the stage is packed with talent. So I wasn’t too surprised when Jean fell off in the eyes of the fandom. However, it shouldn’t be like that! Jean felt so relatable and so human that I honestly felt like giving him a hug half the time. And his character arc is just glorious, as it never takes any unnecessary drastic leaps, but rather follows a very natural pace. He might have a horse face but we still all need to acknowledge this dude!
1. Simon
Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann This one might seem a bit off, as Simon is literally the main character. But if you have seen the show, you might know where I’m going with this. Simon drowned in Kamina’s shadow, even though he had way more presence, screen time, and development than Kamina could ever hope for. We literally watch this little insecure boy become a true man – and yet all anyone ever talks about is the raw positive bro energy shooting out of Kamina’s glasses. Yes, Kamina is very memorable and iconic. But that doesn’t mean we should look past the person he himself trusted the most.
